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Fundamental physics utilizing laser-cooled atoms in microgravity

James M. Kohel, David J. Seidel, Robert J. Thompson, William M. Klipstein, Lute Maleki

Published Aug 22, 2001• 0 citations

Abstract

INTRODUCTION A variety of techniques have been developed over the past two decades for influencing the motion of atomic gases using laser light. These techniques, termed collectively 'laser cooling,' produce samples of atoms with temperatures one millionth of a degree above absolute zero, ushering in a new era of atomic physics. The exquisite control offered by these techniques has made possible measurements of fundamental constants, atomic clocks used in the realization of the SI unit of time, new atom-wave interferometers, and the realization of Bose-Einstein condensation. To understand the impact of gravity on such cold atoms, consider that if the atmosphere were an ideal gas cooled to one micro-Kelvin, it would only extend just 5 microns above the Earth's surface.

DOI: 10.2514/6.2001-4974

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